User:Ruffpatron/Scott free

Scott Free or "The Real Scott Free" is a Los Angeles based musician originally from Tucson, Arizona. His real name is Ronald M. LaCaria but has been using the name Scott Free since 1978. He started playing guitar at age eight when his mother bought him a ten dollar guitar from Mexico for his birthday. At age 11, he tried to take lessons at a local music store but was ahead of even the intermediate students and got bored after one lesson. When he turned 13, his uncle's friend Ernest Minchella who owned a music store in Tucson, hired him to give lessons. He started giving lessons on a regular basis and his student base rose quickly. His parents were divorced by this time and his mother had remarried. His stepfather was in the Air Force and moved the family to Washington state. He continued to school himself using books by Frederick Noad, Mel Bay and listening to Andres Segovia and Chet Atkins records, slowing them down to hear the changes. He also discovered Rock N' Roll, Jazz, Blues, Funk, Pop and other types of music. Scott had an extremely There he met Gary Payn (Gabi Payn)and they immediately hit it off. They started writing music together and performing at various local venues. At age 17 he left Washington and moved to California to be with his father in Huntington Beach. Scott played in many different venues during this time until 1986 when he returned home to Arizona to take care of his mother who was suffering from Alzheimer's. After his mother passed, Scott married in 1995 and the marriage lasted until 2008. He now resides in Los Angeles with his two dogs Ruff and Oreo and continues to play and write music.